Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster

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Build your vocabulary with Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day! Each day a Merriam-Webster editor offers insight into a fascinating new word -- explaining its meaning, current use, and little-known details about its origin.

bipartisan

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 13, 2015 is: bipartisan \bye-PAR-ti-zun\ adjective : of, relating to, or involving members of two parties; specifically : marked by or involving cooperation, agreement, and compromise between two major political parties Examples: The bill has bipartisan support in the Senate, since it stands to benefit both Democrats and Republicans equally. "The stated aim of No Labels, the group giving the dinner ahead of its Problem Solver Convention on Monday, was to encourage bipartisan leadership." Ruth La Ferla, The New York Times, 12 Oct. 2015 Did you know? Bipartisan is a two-part word. The first element is the prefix bi-, which means "two"; the second is partisan, a word that traces through Middle French and north Italian dialect to the Latin part- or pars, meaning "part." Partisan itself has a long history as a word in English. It has been used as a noun in reference to a firm adherent to a party, faction, or cause (especially one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning allegiance), since the 16th century. The related adjective (meaning "of, relating to, or characteristic of a partisan") appeared in the 19th century, as did, after a space of some 50 years, the adjective bipartisan.

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